Wire-stretcher.



E. C. WINGIRE.

WIRE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. ms.

Patented 00f. 24,1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST C. WINGIRE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PETER J. N. MILLER; OF MILLER, SOUTH DAKOTA.

WIRE-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters latent. t t t, 24, 191

' Application filed J'une 14, 1915. Serial No. 83,951.

with the side member 2 thereof. The arm 5 To all whom it may concern i 1s provlded upon its under side with a rein- Be it known that I, ERNEST C. WINGIRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire- Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stretchers and particularly wire stretchers and its main object is to provide a light and specially powerful stretcher that may be operated from the rear of the object to which it is attached and thus rendered entirely safe to the operator in case a breakage of the wire should occur.

Another aim of the invention is to so construct the device that the drive shaft thereof may be readily and quickly thrown out of gear with the winding drum, or other take up device, so as to permit of the pulling cable or connection being quickly unwound from the said drum.

The invention aims further to provide a device of this class so constructed that it may be quickly adapted for use in drawing together the ends of two wires to be spliced.

Another aim of the invention is to so construct the device that, when disposed against a post in position for use and during its up eration, it will not have a tendency to work around the post, but, on the other hand, will maintain the position in which it is initially placed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of the wire stretcher embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, the device being adapted for employment in drawing together the ends of two wires to be spliced.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawin s by the same reference characters.

he device includes in its structure a substantially rectangular open frame including spaced sides 1 and 2,,'aforward end member 3 and a rear end member 4. This frame is provided further with an arm 5 which extends rearwardly from the end, member 4 o the frame and substantially in alinement which is connected one end of a post encircling chain 7 or other flexible element designed to be engaged about a fence post against which the frame, above described, has been disposed, the post being partly received within the angle between the rear member 4 of the frame and the adjacent side of the said arm 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawin s. The numeral 8 indicates a connecting c asp which is connected by a link, as at 9, to the rear end of the side 1 of the frame and this clasp is engageable interchangeably with the links of the chain 7, so that the chain may be drawn more or less tightly about the post and secured. Mounted for rotation in bearings 10 upon the sides 1 and 2 of the frame of the device is a shaft 11 having one end projecting beyond the side 1 of the said frame and squared, as at 12, for a purpose to be presently explained. Fixed upon the shaft 11 is a winding drum 13 to which is connected one end of a pull cable 14, the said cable being adapted to be wound upon the drum, when the drum is rotated, in one direction. as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The other end of the cable is connected, as at 15, to one member 16 of a wire grip, this member being formed with a fixed channeled gripping jaw. 17 provided with a finger 18 designed to extend above or below a wire disposed within the channel of the said jaw, the said finger 18 serving to prevent accidental disengagement of the wire from the said grip. The grip device further includes a pivoted dog 19 having a gripping jaw portion 20 designed to coiiperate with the channeled fixed jaw 17 in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Fixed upon the shaft 11 is a worm gear 20, the said gear being located between the windin drum 18 and the side 2 of the frame of the evice. The said side 2 of the frame is formed or provided near its forward end with a bearing'21 and the arm 5 is provided u on its upper side and at its rear end with a caring 22. The numeral 23 indicates the drive or actuating shaft of the device and forcing web or flange 6 to the rear end of.

this shaft is increased in diameter near its rear end, as indicated at 24, and has its said portion 24: titted ro tatabty and sli ably or shiftably within the. hearing 22: ear. its forward end the shaft 23 is provided with a worm 25 and ,from theforward end of the worm to its forward extrtanity the shaft is reduced in diameter, as indieateil at 26. so as to provide a shoulder designed to abut asrotatably fitted within the bearing 22 and in a like manner the reduced portion of the shaft is shi'ftably fitted within the hearing 2i. The forward shifting movement of the shaft is limited by the engagement of the shoulder at the forward end of the worm 25 against the rear end of the bearing 21 and the rearward shiftin movement of thesaid shaft is limited b the engagement of .a stop pin or the like, indicated ,by the numeral 29, against the forward end of the said bearing 21.

By reference now to Fig. l of the drawings, it will be observed that the winding drum 13 is located in advance of that portion of the frame which is to be disposed gaigist the fence post and that the operati ng'crank handle 28 is located .rearwardly o the said portion of the frame; and by reason of this relative arrangement of the parts, the operator of the device may stand iehind the fence post while operati g the handle 28 and therefore proteote to .a greater or less extent in the event of breakmg of fence wire heng stretched.

ntlie operation of t e'd evic e, assumiii that the pulling cable l i has been unwoun r from the dru m the desire, iortion of its l eii' fth. and"assuinin'gthat t e shaft "23 is ,vybi'ds, (i ies the iosit oin sliown rfi ll" lines in the di'livvings, he maaqflne'f the eraiilrliap be p i it in tjhe diriiiiilh bein rhtated in a ireh 16H togwindlii'i tlifi pullihgdabie lfanclthe' piill exerted" u 'io ii the grip )ing device will seri e td'stretdl a iii fe be'ltween the' j aivlsfoftitriihaidi rippi d' Vilce. Wh g a ti? em ts; and l a are. flute v ass mesh with the gear zlh'the shaft 2 nmin longitudilr-tlly i'eaj'wardly at the same tin'ie. \Vlien the worm 25 has been moved out of mesh with the gear 20, the pullingcable H ,nurv he uh-kl unwound from the drum lit by pull ng upon the said eahle, as Will be readily understood. Of course, when it is desired to again rotate the drum 13 to wind up the pulling cable I l, the shaft 2?: is shifted forwardly and at the same time the crank handle 28 is rotated to the right, 01' in a clockwise direction, and the worm 25 will in this movement of the crank handle and shaft feed into mesh with the worm gear 20 iintil the shoulder at the forward end. of the worm abuts against the rear end of the bearing 21. It will further be noted by reference to Fig. 1 ofthe drawings that, due to the arrangement of the parts of the device, the wire being stretched. may be brought much nearer the post to which it is to be attached than is possible by the use of many of the present types of wire stretchers.

Tn order that the device may be employed in drawing the ends of two wires to be spliced, a wire gripping device is at taehed'to the rear end of the arm 5 and is adapted to grip one of the said Wires, the other wire being gripped by the device ,whieh is attached tothe end of the pulling cable 1+. \Vhen the two wires ,to be brou ht together have been connected With the gripping devices, the crank handle 28 is removed from the squared end 27 of the shaft 23, this shaft having been first shifted so asto bring the worm 2?) out of mesh with the gear 20 ii d the said crank handle 28 is then applied to the squared end 12 of the shaft 11 and is rotated so. as to wind the pulling cable 14: upon. the drum v g It willbe observed byreference to the drawings that the winding drum of thedevice is supported front of the post figainst which the stretcher isposed andt at the operating handle is a ranged in the rear of the said postso thatshfhild the wire being stretched bireak, that portion thereof cqnnee-t d to tie stretcher will strike the post and 'n'ot'thti operatoi pf the device. i i n44 i lavingthus described the invention, what d asnewist" I i i @gdfpnss described a frame co istru'cted at 'on slde for disposal aga nst fev fi th a e, ears ai e, a af r ta ab y trioiiht 1 wtqmi tliit f; f B

fame}. ti winding drain tion to the worm gear and when rotated in the opposite direction to be shifted longitudinally through the unthreading of the 10 worm from mesh With the Worm gear.

in testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ERNEST C. WINGIRE.

meat with the first mentioned bearing, a shaft rotatably and slidably mounted in the said hearings, a worm upon the shaft in gear with the worm gear, and means for 1'0- tating the last mentioned shaft, the last mentioned shaft being arranged when r0- tated in one direction to impart rotary 1110- s.]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of intents, Washington, D. 0. 

